Air-lock for caissons.



'No. 824,876. PATENTED JULY 3, 1906. s. MATTSON & w. M. TORRANGE.

AIR LOOK FOR OAISSONS. APPLICATION rum) 60127. 1905.

il z'tness I rm: "cams PETERS co. wAsmNnro/v, n. c:

UNITED srarns PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL MATTSON, OF NEW YORK, AND VVILL'IAM M. TOHRANOE, OF

YONKERS, NEWV YORK.

AIR-LOCK FOR CAISSONS- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 3, 1906.

Application filed October 27, 1905. Serial No, 284,609-

To aZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, SAMUEL MATTsoN, residing in the borough of Brooklyn, in the city of New York, and WILLIAM M. TOR RANGE, residing in the city of Yonkers, in the county of Westchester, State of New York,

citizens of the United States of America,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Air-Locks for Oaissons.

This invention relates to air-locks constructed for the passing of hoisting-ropes with suspended buckets for the removal. of material fromv caisson excavations or in any movement of tools or material into or out of caissons in which it is necessary to pass a hoisting-rope through a ropepassing door which closes the caisson to enable the maintenance of a state of air-pressure different from normal free atmospheric pressure with more especial reference to the movement of excavation-buckets through such air-locks into and out of caissons.

The object of our invention is to construct an air-lock with a top rope-passing door which extends entirely across the opening and is centered vertically over the vertical shaft reaching down to the caisson.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings, which forms a part of this application, Fig ure 1 is a vertical cross-section of an air-lock embodying our invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan, to a larger scale, of the same air-lock. Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are views of the small hinged door shown in Figs. 1 and 2, which forms a part of our invention. Fig. 6 is a vertical cross-section of an air-lock with a modified form of top door, in which the slot-closing door is carried by the main door. Fig. 7 is a side view of this door. Fig. 8 is a top view of the air-lock constructed with this modification.- Figs. 9, 10, and 11 are views of the small hinged door on the under side of the main door shown in Figs. 6, 7, and 8.

The lock comprises a chamber A sufficiently large to contain a bucket or other tools or objects which it may be desired to pass through the look into and out of the caisson and has an upper opening B and a lower opening E in the same vertical line, the lower opening being in communication with the caisson and the upper opening in communication with the open air. The upper opening is closed by a rope-passing door C, which embodies the specific features of our invention, and the lower opening is closed by a door which need not have the rope-passing feature.

In the form shown in Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, the rope-passing door is hinged within the air-lock and closes upwardly against and entirely across the upper opening B. This door is slotted from the side opposite to the hinge to a point centrally located with=re spect to the opening when the door is closed, which is also usually and will be termed the middle point of the door. On the opposite side of the opening from the hinge of the rope-passing door is hinged a smaller slotclosing door D, which is arranged to close against the under side of'the slot of the ropepassing door.

To lower thebucket X through the look from the outer air, the small upper slot-closing door D and main upper door O are lowered to positions shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1 and the bucket islowered to position shown in Fig. 1, the lower door F being closed, (in horizontalposition, as shown byfull lines.) The door O is then closed,theslot-S engaging the cable, which when the door C is completely closed is over to the extreme righthand end of the slot S. The remainder of this slot S up to the cable is then closed by raising the small slot-closing door D up against-the under side of door 0, the upper projection of door D filling the slot S. It is understood that our invention is not limited in respect to the shape of the slot to that shown in the'figures. A tight fit between doors O and D is insured by a gasket T, of rubber or other suitable material, fastened over the top of door D, as shown in Fig. 5. These doors may be counterweighted by weights G to aid in moving them, and the gearing attached may be interlocked, so that they cannot be operated except in the proper order. This gearing may be attached to an air or steam cylinder H for furnishing power to operate same. The air or steam cocks or levers may be so arranged that one movement by the op erator will cause the movement in the'proper order. In Fig. 2 an arrangement for this purpose is shown by means of beveled gears, in which the gears L and M only come in contact with the gears on the hinge-shafts of doors O and D for a portion of the turn each. When air is admitted to the cylinder H, the

shaft N, on which gears L and M. are mounte ed, is caused to rotate, and gear L, as shown, being in contact with gear on hinge-shaft of slot-closing door D causes it to open, and the rotation of shaft N continuing gear M comes in contact with gear on hinge on shaft of main rope-passing door C, which is thus opened. In closing the doors the reverse motion of air in cylinder H and of shaft N occurs, causing .main door 0 to close first and slot-closing door D to close afterward. After the upper opening B is thus closed the airpressure in the lock is equalized with that below the lower door F in the caisson, and this lower door F is opened, thus allowing the bucket to be lowered freely down the shaft to the caisson, the cable being let through the hole left at the end of the slot S in the door C.

When the bucket is raised through the airlook as built in accordance with our invention, the reverse operation in all details is performed, the bucket being raised into the lock and the lower door F closed, after which the air-pressure in the lock is equalized with the outside atmosphere and the slot-closing door D and main upper door 0 opened, allowing the bucket X to proceed upward from the look.

In the modification of our invention shown in Figs. 6 to 11 the slot-closing door D is shown as hinged on the under side of main door C, and gearing is shown suitable to allow this slot-closing door to be operated from the top of door C when the later is closed. An air-cylinder K is shown as carried on the top of door C and a flexible air-hose R connected therewith for furnishing power to operate this slot-closing door D. It is understood that this air-cylinder K could be carried on the under side of the door, and all the gearing could also remain on the under side, the door in that case being operated by means of a flexible air-hose passing through the door or through the side of the lock to the cylinder.

It is understood also that our invention includes any suitable means for operating this slot-closing door D from the top of door C.

WVedge-shaped blocks W are shown attached on the sides of the locks of doors to allow movement of bucket without obstruction.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an air-lock the combination with one of the openings thereto, of a main door constructed to close entirely across the opening and provided with a rope-passing slot extending from one edge to the middle part of the door with respect to the opening, and a slot-closing door hinged from the side of the lock opposite the side from which the main door is hinged, and constructed to close the slot when the main door is closed.

2. In an air-lock the combination with one of the openings thereto, of a hinged main door constructed to close entirely across the opening, and provided with a rope-passing slot extending from the edge opposite the hinge to the middle part of the door with respect to the opening, and a slot-closing door hinged from the side of the lock opposite the side from which the main door is hinged and constructed to close the slot when the main door is closed.

3. In an air-lock the combination with one of the openings thereto of a main door constructed to close entirely across the opening and provided with a rope-passing slot extending from one edge to the middle part of the door with respect to the opening, and a slot-closing door constructed to close the slot when the main door is closed, and interlocking devices to insure the closing of the main door in advance of the closure of the slotclosing door, and the opening of the slot-closing door in advance of the main door.

Signed by us at New York city, borough of Manhattan, on the 26th day of October, 1905.

SAMUEL MATTSON. I/VILLIAM M. TORRANCE. Witnesses:

. Gno. T. SNYDER, T. J. ANTHONY. 

